


Brand New Witch

by Feleanne



Category: BNA: Brand New Animal (Anime), Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beastman, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Beastman Discrimination, Diakko Day 2021, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, there will be fluff I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29134986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feleanne/pseuds/Feleanne
Summary: "Atsuko knew that no day as a beastman was ever going to be perfect. She had a lifetime of evidence to back up that claim.But… It seriously hurts sometimes."A LWA AU where your favorite little witch duo are now Beastman! Going over mostly original concepts revolving around the world Brand New Animal takes place in, this fic aims to cover the anime's plot with major divergence to account for the now-beastman protagonists.(Also apologies to Hannah fans but she will be REALLY bad in this fic whoops) (Hopefully updates every Monday)
Relationships: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari & Sucy Manbavaran & Lotte Yanson, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Hannah England / Being A Massive Jerk, Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 25
Kudos: 62





	1. The Realities of Being a Beastman

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Diakko Day!!
> 
> To celebrate, I wanted to post the first chapter of this fic. I originally wanted to have a few chapters done before I posted to keep a consistent schedule, but the second chapter is already near done- just editing and read overs to go before it's complete- so I don't mind posting now to celebrate a very momentous day!!
> 
> I really hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to comment!

“Welcome… to the world of magic!!”

It was a day unlike any other she’d ever had before- it was a day filled with nothing but happiness for the young Atsuko Kagari. Finally being able to see her idol in person, with her Mom and Dad no less, both them and the crowd watching in awe as the scarlet-haired beastman twirled and dived through the air in multiple forms, birdlike- centaur- Atsuko swore she even turned into a mermaid at some point- until she went back to her familiar polar bear state, riding on the broom like it was a surfboard through the air.

Those words danced in her heart for so long… They gave her hope for the future she desired- hope that she could become a witch just like her, being able to put smiles on others' faces no matter the kind of person she was.

Atsuko could feel her eyes widen in pure, childlike excitement at the display, her very dream was being immortalized right in front of her- and this time not through a screen- as the performer flipped and twirled through the air with such a carefree attitude, and yet with such practiced finesse… it made her dream to be like her too- like Shiny Chariot.

A beastman who performed among many for the sole purpose of entertaining, creating flashy and wild displays that always topped the previous one… giving others like her the confidence that they too could realize their dreams, no matter how out there or crazy they were. She was a beastman spreading _joy_ to others in a world where it was slowly becoming impossible.

A beastman just like her.

Shouts and screams echoed all around her on the same level as her own, all for the performer and her show, for her magic and her personality. What Atsuko wasn’t aware of, however, was that their sudden, alarmed shouts were for the most part aimed directly at her. She was so wonderfully happy, that she hadn’t even noticed that she slipped into her tanuki form.

As Shiny Chariot landed back on the stage, Atsuko raised her arms up high along with a few other kids and adults alike in the crowd with a loud cheer- watching as her chest began to glow.

Looking down, she watched as a small creature practically sprouted out of her heart- a fairy made of pure, golden light. She made to grab for it, before realizing that her hands were covered in fur and tipped with claws… but she didn’t care, she was happy! Beastman were allowed to be happy at a beastman performer’s magic show!

With cheers getting louder, multitudes of other golden creatures rose into the sky from around the entirety of the audience, they circled around in the air almost as if they were dancing- joining together in a massive pack of shimmering lights that outshone the stars above.

Chariot gasped at something Atsuko couldn’t see, and when she turned around- she watched as ten- no, a hundred- no, nearly a thousand tiny cubes began to fly out from various spots in the crowd, beginning to form together into a giant maw in the sky, glowing a fearsome red.

Atsuko gasped in kind as it began to fly through the air at high speeds, eating up all the fairies, birds, and even flying fish with its sharp teeth.

Once it ate up the last sprite, its body contorted and grew in size- forming some amalgamation of a salamander and a dragon- a long, lengthy body with scales that gave off a red underglow, and its eyeless maw still present.

Atusko looked back towards the front stage- watching as Chariot’s arm grew double in size, taking off her hat and tossing it with an extreme force over the crowd’s heads- the hat began to glow, before quickly morphing into a familiar, glowing bird- Chariot’s familiar, Alcor.

Breaking out into a sprint, Chariot’s legs bulked up similarly to her arm a moment prior, before making a powerful leap into the air that sent shockwaves of air into the crowd, before she landed perfectly on top of her avian companion, and began to speed towards the flying, dragon-like creature.

Drawing closer, Chariot readied her Shiny Rod in front of her, spinning it around and around- trails of pure magic radiating off of the multiple, now-glowing baubles etched into its base. 

As the creature bellowed, Chariot’s face only grew more determined. Atsuko nearly screamed as the creature made to lunge for the performer.

“Noctu Orfei- _Aude Fraetor!!”_

The rod in her hands began to shift and contort as she continued to spin it round, elongating on both sides and starting to shift into a more curved look- Shiny Chariot’s _Shiny Arc._

The crowd below watched in awe, a few others gasping, as Chariot drew back the bow.

_“Shiny… Arc!!”_

A glowing green arrow shot forth from the bow, lighting up the sky as it launched directly into the opposing creature’s mouth, it swallowed the arrow, and exploded out flames through the gaps of its sharpened teeth.

Attempting to contain the explosion within its own body was its own downfall- it began to grow and expand into a giant ball, getting bigger and bigger, until it suddenly exploded- raining down fireworks in blazing technicolor all around the sky above the crowd.

All the glowing fairies and sprites and creatures were freed along with the explosion, dancing around once more in the sky.

Chariot continued to hover in the air on top of Alcor, Atsuko gazing up at them in pure awe- despite the performers back being faced towards her.

Nocking another magical arrow against the Shiny Arc, Chariot shot another speeding arrow straight into the sky- and it quickly expanded to form a massive portal.

Turning her head back towards the crowd, Atsuko’s breath hitched as she watched the performer look right to her, the young tanuki beastman girl in the crowd among visibly only humans.

Smiling down at her, Chariot winked. “Don’t forget…”

Turning back towards the crowd as a whole, trusting Alcor to guide her the right way, Chariot gave a wave.

“That a believing heart... is your magic.”

The portal behind her began to glow, and it practically exploded a blazing minty light behind her- causing the crowd below to reel in shock and guarding their eyes and faces from both the light, and the strong gusts of wind that formed in the blast.

Atsuko’s tight grip on her Chariot hat lasted for only a few more seconds, until she finally gazed up to where the performer once was- now being replaced by a massive pillar of viridescent light, that slowly began to shrink down into nothing, and the radiating sparks and pulses of magic finally started to fade- raining down to the crowd below.

Watching as one of the few remaining sparks began to flutter down towards herself, she held out her clawed, furry hands towards it, lowering them along with the spark as it landed right in her palms, and faded right into her arms.

She clasped her hands, and held them close… before looking right back up to where she last saw her idol, and gave a whimsical smile- unable to notice the various stares she was given from people in the crowd, and the slightly worried expressions on her parents’ faces.

* * *

The train car was _packed_ with people, and for the most part all she was getting was an assortment of glares, ranging from mild disgust to very much death threatening. A quick glance around the carriage revealed little else to be positive about either, the overwhelming negative emotions were almost gross.

But that didn’t matter, today was going to be a good day! Luna Nova was on the horizon, and she’d been accepted, despite being a beastman! Hah, take _that,_ Mataro from middle school!

Atsuko stepped off of the train, and made her way through the small crowd of people, finding herself already smack-dab right in the middle of Glastonbury… all she had to do now was look for the bus stop.

“I’m finally here…” She whispered to herself, her crimson and pink eyes sparkling as she gazed towards the clouds. “The same place Shiny Chariot studied at- the very same Luna Nova!!”

“Yes!!” She shouted, spinning on the balls of her feet and feeling her tail swish behind her, she couldn’t help the childlike giggles that were pouring out of her like she was much younger- like that same day she saw Shiny Chariot in person all those years ago.

A look of determination etched itself onto Atsuko’s face as she hoisted her carrying bag onto her shoulder, a firm, slightly clawed grip dragging her suitcase behind herself. “Nobody… nobody’s going to stop me now from becoming a great, splendid witch!!”

It didn’t matter that she was a tanuki-girl, she was still a human first and foremost- and a soon-to-be witch second. Being a tanuki-girl was an unavoidable third though.

Readjusting her jacket a bit, and looking behind her to make sure she’d remembered to put her tail through her shorts’ tail-hole instead of having it stick out from over the top- she nodded her affirmation as she began to walk through the streets of the English city.

Unable to really stop herself, she kept turning to a few passers by. “Hello!” Atsuko said to one lady, who just gave her a disgusted stare back. Completely unfazed, she turned to another person. “Heya!” She giggled, once again not caring in the slightest their look- this time of slight pity. 

Atsuko walked a few more paces, then came to an abrupt stop as she made an important realisation... She should probably ask for directions to find the bus stop she had to get to- she’d kind of stepped foot in Glastonbury not even ten minutes ago.

Atsuko noticed that an old lady was sitting on the bench. Seeing the perfect opportunity, she decided that out of anybody- it would probably be the old lady who knew her way around the place the most.

Leaning forward, Atsuko smiled. “Hello ma’am, do you happen to know where the bus stop is that can take you to the Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy?”

Perking up, the old lady gave a soft smile. “I’m afraid not, dear.”

Atsuko nodded with a sad smile. “It’s okay- thank you anyways for the help!”

Atsuko turned back to walk down the main sidewalk once again, furrowing her brow and raising a hand to scratch her chin in thought. _‘Okay… if the old lady didn’t know, who could…’_

Atsuko then noticed a lady and her son on the other sidewalk- if the old lady didn’t know, it would _have_ to be a parent, considering it was a school.

Quickly darting her head left and right to check for cars, she held her luggage tight as she dashed across the street quickly- needing to skid to a stop in front of the lady, who just squeaked in surprise.

“I’m sorry if I’m intruding- but do you know where the bus stop to the Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy is?” Atsuko smiled, watching through the corner of her eye as the young boy hid behind the parent’s legs. “It’s the place the performer Shiny Chariot went to- do you know who they are?”

“I-I’m afraid I don’t…” The lady nervously chuckled. “You’ll have to ask someone else…”

Atsuko’s face fell again, but she quickly grabbed the older woman’s hands to shake. “Thank you miss!” 

As the woman’s face went from just nervous to an extremely forced smile that held back what looked to be a _lot_ of disgust and distaste, Atsuko’s face fell even further. She quickly let go, opting instead to bow her thanks.

Quickly grabbing her suitcase, she went right by the pair, turning her head slightly to look at the young boy who looked _fearfully_ back at her- as if he was afraid _of her._

Atsuko power-walked down the sidewalk, fighting not to glance back at the scared kid. Really not a mental image she needed right now.

She’d really not been having the best of luck today… being in a different country that wasn’t _as_ accepting as Japan with beastman was almost certainly a part of it, but even back at home it just seemed like the older she got, the more people hated beastman. It didn’t make any sense…

Atsuko noticed two kids hunched over, both staring very intently at a _Nintendo 3DS_ held in one of their hands. She could try and ask them- she’d played enough video games to strike up a proper conversation. She had her own console in her bag, actually!

“Excuse me?” Atsuko knelt down, putting her arms on her knees as the other kids perked up. “Do you know where the bus station is around here, by chance?”

The two younger kids stared at each other for a moment, before one of them started to grin, and gestured for Atsuko to come closer.

With an internal shrug, she knelt further, lowering her head so the kid could speak right into her tanuki ear atop her head.

Cupping his hands in front of the girl’s ear, he whispered: _“Shouldn’t you be with your owner? They should know.”_

The boy knelt back down, and immediately went back to playing his game. The other boy looked a bit surprised, but nonetheless- they went back to watching.

Atsuko just sat there for a moment, those words echoing in her head.

“Shouldn’t you be going somewhere, racoon-lady?” The same kid sneered, starting to wave his hand as if he was shooing her off. “There’s a dumpster nearby- just go to the restaurant around the corner and ask if you can see the garbage.”

Atusko then stood up, unsure of how to really respond.

So- against her better judgment… she didn’t. She let the words sink in. She grabbed her luggage tightly, and started to walk away.

Nobody was helpful, nobody really even _cared_ \- they all just undermined her, thought she was gross, or outright insulted her. Just like back home- just like when she was young.

Raising a clawed finger up to her face, Atsuko wiped away the tears building at the corners of her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with you…” She whispered to herself. “Just ignore it…”

There wasn’t any point in yelling at a couple of kids for being ignorant, and there wasn’t any point in trying to prove them wrong in any way. She just had to walk away and ignore it… but it really stung like hell.

She managed to find a park after a bit more minutes of walking, and she sat down on a bench, resting her head in her hands.

“Is it that hard being nice to a beastman…?” Atsuko mused to herself. “And none of them even pointed me in the direction of a bus stop… even the nice people had no clue what I was talking about…”

Atsuko reached into her orange jacket’s pocket, pulling out an already very worn down Luna Nova “brochure” pamphlet. 

The back had some rudimentary directions, but they nonetheless were pretty informative… Get off at the train station… then follow the road down to the park… then she had to cross a bridge somewhere, and go to this place called the “Leyline Terminal…” 

Why did it look so much like that _Glastonbury Tor_ she’d seen so much of when she was researching Somerset?

“It says there's a bus stop…”

She raised the brochure up, scanning around her surroundings. “They could’ve at least made the map just a bit more detailed…”

As Akko scanned, she noticed a structure cropping out at the top of a massive hill. It was hard to tell what it was from a distance, but it looked old, dilapidated and- were those _trees_ growing out of it?

What the hell, may as well give it a try…

She concentrated hard on the idea of an Eagle’s sight… and she could feel her eyes begin to shift and morph- her eyesight growing keener every moment she continued to stare at the massive stone structure.

Out front were what looked to be multiple witches- each dressed in a garb that resembled the image in the pamphlet of the Luna Nova standard witch uniform.

Atsuko glanced a few times back and forth between the pamphlet and the hill, just to be sure that her eyes were most definitely not playing tricks on her.

With a squeal of delight, Atsuko jumped right onto the balls of her feet. “I found it- _I found it!!”_

Atsuko reeled her legs back and made sure her grip was tight on her carry-on bag and suitcase as she concentrated hard once again. She needed speed, she’d already spent enough time messing around looking for directions.

Her legs began to shift and morph in the same way her eyes had, transforming into the powerful legs of a cheetah. She even had the spots!

“Okay…” she drew in a deep breath. “Let’s do this… no distractions!!”

Atsuko burst forward with extreme speeds, quickly racing across the grass, past the street, and down the sidewalk towards the cobblestone pathway that led directly to her destination.

“Just keep focusing, Atsuko…” she said under her breath, feeling every single step she made against the stone. “Just keep focusing…”

Turning to look towards the Glastonbury Tor, her keen sight trained in harder- watching as a few witches mounted their booms, and began to rise upwards inside of the building.

“I can still make it in time…” She continued to whisper to herself, feeling the stone shift into dirt. “Just gotta keep going…-!!” 

Her foot got caught against a rock, and Akko was immediately sent spiraling into the air- her eyes and legs reverting right back to their previously tanuki state.

_“K-KUSOOO!!!”_

Atsuko’s body smashed into another unlucky person who just so happened to be on the same path as her. Atsuko winced as she raised her body up- oh crap, there was someone underneath her, glaring directly at her with a lone visible eye peeking out from now frayed lavender strands.

“E-Eheheh…” Atsuko chuckled. “Sorry… I kind of tripped…”

The lavender haired girl’s expression turned into a scowl.

“Sooo… who are you…?”

* * *

Well, at least her beloved Alcor plush had at least been a small mercy in that whatever made them purple had washed away. But sadly, so too had whatever magic that strange pink-haired girl had used to animate it. So after quickly wringing it out, Atsuko shoved it right back into her suitcase where it belonged, hopefully not soaking any of her other possessions too badly in the process.

Unfortunately even after a good minute or two of rigorous dog-like shaking, her fur was still matted down and soaked. At least her hair was dry… the socks definitely weren’t.

Atsuko’s feet and body as a whole were heavy with precipitation, now stalking slowly up the steps towards the Tor, her ears started to perk up to what it sounded like a conversation. Excitement bubbling up in her chest at the chance to talk to more girls soon-to-be like her, she started jogging up the rest of the way.

“How was your spring break?” One had asked.

“There were tourists everywhere I went… it honestly got pretty tiring after a while.“ The person they were talking to responded.

A third voice started. “Please tell me there weren’t any _beastman_ there too?”

That voice that answered the last question made a yucking noise. “Yeah, there were a lot of them there- must’ve been a migration thing or something.”

“Oh, speaking of…” That third voice started again. “I heard one of the newcomers is a beastman- and on top of that, _isn’t_ from a witch family.”

“Seriously?!” The two others sneered.

Atsuko stopped dead in her tracks.

“A beastman?!” They continued, starting to chuckle under their breath.

Realizing Atsuko was now just a few steps away from the witches in general, she just stayed as still as possible.

“You’ve got to be joking, right?” A black haired witch sneered. “They’re letting not just commoners in but _beastman_ as well?! How low have their standards dropped?”

An auburn haired witch made an audible gag. “Honestly! Letting in commoners is one thing, but what do they think they’ll get from letting a wild animal run around the halls?!”

“They’re not doing well financially, apparently.” A purplish haired witch started. “They’ve been needing to let anybody in just to keep the school open, and that means commoners and beastman.”

“Luna Nova’s reputation is going to take a massive hit after this…” The black haired witch groaned.

With a dark chuckle, the auburn-haired witch started speaking again. “How much do you want to bet they’ll need to get put on a leash within the week?”

“I wouldn’t say a week…” The black haired witch answered after a moment of thought.

“If they let them in, they’ll have to have _some_ manners. It’s the first time in history they let a beastman enroll, though…” That purple haired witch responded as well.

Atsuko carefully took a step back down the hill, turning her head and keeping her eyes slightly downcast, her motions as quiet as she could manage.

Perhaps… going to a witch school wasn’t that good of an idea.

“Hey!” That black haired witch called out- to her. _Kuso._ “Who’re you?”

She could feel everybody else's eyes train on her, and a quick shot of fear went up from the tip of her tail to the top of her spine. 

Turning around slowly, she looked over her shoulder at the group in front of them. “...Atsuko… Atsuko Kagari…”

That auburn haired witch had a look of the most _genuine_ disgust on her face that Atsuko had personally ever seen on a person- fictional or not- that mellowed out into an angry glare.

“Oh, so you must be the new one, then?” The black haired witch raised an eyebrow.

Feeling that she at this point couldn’t just walk away from the conversation, Atsuko turned herself fully towards the group, and hesitantly stepped forward. “W-Well… y-yeah…”

The purplish haired witch looked for the most part just as unreservedly hateful as the auburn haired one, but the black haired witch kept a more curious look on her face as Atsuko stepped closer, now scratching her cheek absentmindedly with her clawed finger.

“I hope the bus comes soon…?” Atsuko hesitantly chuckled, keeping a firm grip on all her belongings. 

“Bus?” The purple haired witch questioned.

“I mean… this is where the bus stop is, right…?” Atsuko looked up towards a nearby sign that at the very least _looked_ like was meant to signify a bus stop- but rather said in bold, white text; “LEYLINE,” while fiddling with her clawed fingers, rolling them around each other.

The three witches stared at each other, before they all broke out in simultaneous laughter.

“Seriously?!” The auburn haired witch chuckled. “There goes the thought of you being at least somewhat competent- you’re as dumb as every other animal.”

The black and purple haired witches continued to chuckle as they walked under the stone structure’s archway door, while the auburn witch stuck behind.

“Look, I don’t know how to say this in a way you would understand… but...”

Leaning forward, she glared a dagger so sharp Atsuko could practically feel the edge against her chest- right in front of her heart.

“ _Your kind_ simply isn’t welcome here.”

With a quick scoff, she turned on her heels, mounted her broom, and hovered right over to her compatriots, chatting up a storm like she hadn’t just verbally assaulted someone a second prior.

Atsuko knew that no day as a beastman was ever going to be perfect. She had a lifetime of evidence to back up that claim.

But… It seriously hurts sometimes.

Tears dripped down Akko’s already damp cheeks as she watched the witches rise upwards. So much for- no! Atsuko quickly shook her head- now wasn’t the time for lamenting things that couldn’t be changed. 

Now was the time for reckless action!

* * *

_‘_ _Okay… one more time!!’_

“If my fur wasn’t so matted and heavy thanks to that weird pink-haired girl… I could probably be halfway to Luna Nova by now!!”

As Atsuko flipped her way through all the mental hoops her mental gymnastics teacher had set up for her, her mind’s eye finally landed on that shape of an Albatross’ wings- nice and long to effectively lift up her body’s weight.

Her feet were stamped on the ground firm, her arms-turned-wings now fully expanded outward… she had to do this now- there wasn’t much time left!!

Using her jacket as fabric to tie her suitcase to her back and her arms as her guides, Atsuko pressed down hard as she jumped up high, feeling her body launch up much higher than normal- her wings giving enough upward force to put her a couple of feet in the air.

“Okay… so far so good!”

Another flap of the wings resulted in yet more altitude gained, the portal was getting closer and closer.

“I-I’m a genius!!” Atsuko chuckled, giving another flap of her wings.

With the portal right above her, all she had to do now was make it through, and hope and pray for a soft landing on the other side.

“Just… one… more!!”

With a final, powerful beat of her wings, she was pulled violently from the mortal world, to some in-between that she was definitely _not_ ready to cross into. Atsuko could practically _feel_ her body stretch and contort as the portal dragged her up and into it, her limbs morphing and her vision fish-eyeing as she spun into a neon white tunnel filled with nothing but glowing green branches.

“WH-WHAT?!”

Eyes darting left to right, Atsuko kept flapping faster and faster, her eyes unable to process any of her surroundings- 

“Why couldn’t the old magic people who made the portal have it just go directly to Luna Nova?!” Atsuko screamed in her panicking frenzy.

She’d then begun to notice her altitude started to drop, and as she looked from left to right at her wings- kuso, they were barely even wings anymore! They were already halfway to morphed back to her regular tanuki arms, shifting further and further away from what she needed by the second.

“Oh no!!!”

Feathers were being scattered around every which way, and Atsuko’s eyes along with them- continuously looking down, up, left, right, nearly every direction humanly possible as she frantically started to beat her wings faster and faster.

“Come on come on come onnn!!!” Atsuko pleaded as she could feel the wingspan return to just average arm length- her once heavy Albatross ligaments turning back into their furry, lighter tanuki counterparts.

“H-Hey!!” A voice from down below called out to her. “I-I’ll catch you!!”

Shooting her head around to face her rear, she looked down below at what seemed to be a ginger witch with outstretched arms- aiming to catch her with a slightly determined yet mostly just very worried look on her face.

“C-CATCH ME?!” Akko screamed at her. “A-ARE YOU SURE?!”

“Yes!!” The ginger shouted back, slowly raising her broom higher to close the distance. “I-I think I can, anyways!! I’ve carried heavier things back at home!!”

“W-WAIT, BUT WHAT IF I-”

With an explosion of feathers and smoke, Atsuko’s arms finally returned back to normal- her concentration on maintaining her form completely forgotten.

_“FAAAAAALL!!!”_

As Atsuko screamed, she tried her best to keep her flailing to a minimum- and failing horribly- as she smacked straight into the ginger witch’s chest, knocking both herself and her attempted savior clean off the broom and plummeting downwards.

The ginger began to scream, and Atsuko gaped in fear as they started to comet towards _another_ witch- that lavender witch from before who’d given temporary life to her best bird buddy- currently blissfully unaware of the situation rocketing towards her, instead opting to keep her nose deep in a book.

“W-WATCH OUT!!!”

The lavender witch unenthusiastically gazed upward. “...Eh?”

Not even a moment after, she as well was knocked off of her broom as the furry fury smashed directly into her chest the same way she had to the unfortunate ginger savior before her. In an explosion of luggage and screams, all three were now tumbling down towards what seemed to be the edge of the strange magical tunnel.

“S-SORRY!!!!”

Three bodies started to twist and spin in the air, nothing but screams and air surrounding them, as they broke through the wave-like magical cylinder, and shot through a vast expanse of darkness.

_“KUSOOOOOOOO!!!”_

* * *

“...What is it, Alcor?”

Turning her head away from her paperwork to where her old, feathery companion was currently squawking up a storm directly at her, she pulled out her wand with a sigh

“Honestly, Alcor… you could at least tell me something useful for once…”

A hand of white fur swiped her wand up into the air, summoning a small metal sphere along with the motion, now starting to rise up towards the absolute center of the room.

The lights dimmed as the ball began to shine. Multiple constellations and branching paths of pure white light filled the entirety of the space around her.

“Lets see…”

Scanning the makeshift stars and constellations, her gaze was drawn to a particularly bright star off to the side, drifting towards an area that she knew all too well.

“No… the Forest of Arcturus…?” 

The constellations and stars quickly dimmed into nothing, and the light returned to the small observatory.

“Tell the others, Alcor, I’ve got some students to save!!”

Dashing over to her broom, she grabbed a small lantern along with it, and quickly hopped on.

As she rose towards the observatory’s window- she caught sight of her reflection in the glass.

All white fur beneath her long, wavy blue hair, and a prominent yellow star just barely peeking out from the neck, her black snout and red eyes contrasting heavily against the snowy coat.

Sighing, she urged her body to revert to it’s human state. She gently pushed open and upwards the circular center of the window, and calmly exited the room.

_‘Don’t get caught up on the little things, Chariot… you’ve got some students to rescue.’_


	2. Reality and Belief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day begins! An all new, whimsical adventure starts now!
> 
> ...Right?

_ “Mmmmnnnmngg…” _

“Akko…”

The day had only just started, and Lotte was faced with an all new type of dilemma she hadn’t ever expected to have to deal with in her life. Waking up a grouchy, snoozing tanuki.

_ “Mmmmhmhmngg!” _

“Akko… you need to get up…” Lotte sighed, anxiously looking over to Sucy, who had just been watching things unfold while sitting on her bed.

_ “Nom I domn’t…” _ Akko grouched, face still stuffed in her pillow.

“We need to get going, Akko, we can’t be late on the first day after what happened at the opening ceremony…” Lotte huffed again, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed. “We still need to get ready, change clothes, and- Sucy?”

“Move, I got something that’ll wake her up.”

Lotte stood up, and backed off slightly as Sucy kneeled right in front of the attempting-to-sleep tanuki on the bed. With a devilish grin, she grasped Akko’s tail- and gave it a tug.

“G-GAAAH!!!”

Lotte yelped and winced as Akko slammed her head on the top of the bunk, and subsequently fell right back onto the pillow.

“O-Owwwww…” Akko winced in pain, clutching her head and turning to glare to the now-chuckling Sucy. “What was that for?!”

“You weren’t going to wake up, so I had to force you to.” Sucy shrugged through her mirth, and eventually went back into her usual Sucy-patented blank stare. “But seriously, if we’re late because of you…”

“I get it, I get it…” Akko pouted, turning her body towards the edge of the bed and hopping out. “Geez… you didn’t have to pull on my tail…”

“Hey, as long as it works.” Sucy smiled, giving an ‘OK’ sign with her hand.

Lotte watched as Akko fumed and pouted, before giving a small frown to Sucy.

If they were going to be living together for the foreseeable future, Sucy could at least be a bit more nice to Akko… wait, did that mean Sucy was going to do the same kinds of things to her as well? Would she have to learn to sleep with one eye open?

“Oh, the Shiny Rod!!” Akko suddenly gasped, snapping Lotte out of her reverie.

Lotte watched as Akko quickly grabbed that ornate magical wand she had found in the forest, clutching tight against her chest in a clawed grip- right over their heart. “It wasn’t just a dream- I’m finally here at Luna Nova!!”

Sucy sighed as she and Lotte watched Akko jump up and down with her arms out like a child, saying alternating “Yay’s!” and “Yatta’s!”, each followed up with plenty of giggles.

“Lotte!!” Akko then exuberantly leaned right into Lotte’s personal bubble, their eyes gleaming with stars. “Look!”

Moving back a slight bit, she gazed down at the rod in the other girl’s hands, the strange baubles pulsing lightly with faded green light, and the strange earthy color of the base glimmering in the bright rays of the sun peaking through the slightly glazed window of their room.

Chuckling, Lotte looked back up, and smiled kindly. “That’s the Shiny Rod, right?”

“Mhm!!” Akko leaned in even more into her personal bubble, causing her to recoil even more. “It’s Shiny Chariot’s magic wand!!” Akko smiled, her bright eyes of red and pink so full of joy.

For a more proper first impression… Akko seemed like a lot of fun. She would rather Akko didn’t go so much into her personal space- but it’s not like her parents really bothered either… which felt, in its own ways, really comforting.

Lotte sighed internally as Akko leaned back onto the balls of her feet, and paced a bit around the room with a puzzled look. “But I don’t know what it was doing in the middle of the forest, though…”

“Gee, boy do I wonder…” Sucy sighed.

Akko seemed impulsive, but not in a particularly selfish kind of way. Her behavior could be somewhat sporadic, but she was laser-guided and focused when it comes to those she considers friends- if yesterday in the forest was evident- and she seemed all around just… fun.

For being the first beastman she’d ever really known beyond the pages of a book, Akko had made a brilliant impact on her already. And if anything… it validated all the little things she’d done towards making others see more people like Akko in a slightly better light.

“Hey, Akko, do you want to shower first?” Lotte asked, trying to get the over-exuberant tanuki back on track. “It’d probably be for the best, as long as you don’t take too long.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” Akko smiled at Lotte, propping the Shiny Rod back against the table. “I’ll be out in a jiffy!”

Sucy and Lotte’s eyes were trained on Akko, watching as they grabbed their toiletries and entered the small bathroom of their room. Sucy then sighed with relief as the door closed. “I don’t get how she can change her emotions on a dime like that.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Lotte turned to face Sucy. 

“Not… necessarily.” Sucy drawled. “It’s mostly just annoying.”

“I think it's nice.” Lotte chuckled. “Akko’s really easy to get along with that way, don’t you think?”

“I suppose…” Sucy rested her head in the palm of her hand. “It also makes it  _ really _ easy to manipulate her.”

“Sucy…”

This… was going to be a long couple of years, wasn’t it?

* * *

“Dumb uniform…” Akko pouted. “They didn’t even make tail-holes or anything… at least the robe could work…”

Akko was faced with a horrific crisis, she now had to either annoyingly keep her tail under her skirt and focus all day on  _ not  _ moving it in  _ any way _ , or purposefully keep her tail above the skirt- and risk any sort of public embarrassment that could come from revealing skin so close to her rear.

“Why do you need a tail-hole anyways?” Sucy questioned, straightening out her uniform’s collar and necktie.

“So I don’t have to worry about showing any skin down  _ there  _ if I want to wear anything properly.” Akko whined. “And I don’t know any magic to put one on there or something,  _ and _ I don’t want to just rip a hole open in the back of my skirt…”

“What, afraid someone will see  _ more  _ fur?” Sucy rolled her eye. “You don’t even have any visible skin, what’s the problem…”

“Do you think I’d just go out there  _ nude  _ if I could?!” Akko glared at Sucy. “I still have my pride and standards- it’s not like I walk around everywhere wearing nothing at all like a wild animal!!”

_ “Metamorphie Weisstyss…” _ Lotte whispered, aiming her wand at Akko’s attire.

Akko’s glare quickly shifted into a curious glance down at her rear- watching as the upper fabrics of her skirt opened up, to an expertly woven tail-hole.

“Oh!” Akko happily gasped, before quickly shimmying around to shove her oversized tail through the small hole. “Thanks, Lotte!!”

“Of course.” Lotte smiled kindly. “But we gotta get moving, do you have all your books?”

“Mhm!” Akko smiled, proudly holding up her various oversized textbooks. “All ready to go!”

Quickly shoving them in a small tote bag her  _ Okaa-san _ reminded her to bring, Akko gave a clawed thumbs-up.

“Finally…” Sucy sighed, opening their dorm room. “We better get going, because there’s only a few minutes until class starts.”

“K-Kuso!!”

* * *

Okay, today had not been going so well so far- but that was okay, it’s probably just first-day blues for everybody! That  _ was _ a thing, right?

“Ms. Kagari!” 

“E-Eh?” Akko perked up, quickly shaking her head to work away all the grogginess. “Y-Yes?”

“Do you think you can  _ read  _ these runes on the blackboard, Ms. Kagari?” Finnelan glared at Akko expectantly, yet for some reason emphasizing the word read.

“U-Uh…” Akko nervously chuckled.

_ ‘Okay, Akko, you’re in England, they all speak English… you’ve been studying English for years! You can handle-’ _

Every single glowing character on the board looked like some combination of braille and that strange font she swears was called “Chicken-Wings” or something… “Ding-Dings…?”

“Chicken wing… ding ding…?” Akko whispered to herself under their breath, drawing very confused glances from her roommates and the few students surrounding her.

“Kagari!”

Yelping, Akko slumped down in her seat. “N-No… I don’t think I can…”

“Tch…” Finnelan glared at her. “You could somehow apply to this school yet you cannot read even a  _ small bit _ of this ancient language?” They huffed. “Can anybody else try and read these runes on the board?”

Akko could hear from right in front of her a few students starting to chuckle, and she glanced downward to notice those two from yesterday- the same ones who were insulting her at the Tor.

Slumping further into her seat, Lotte looked to Akko worriedly. “It’s okay, Akko…” They whispered. “Don’t worry about them.”

“Hmph…”

At least Lotte was really nice to her, despite the whole _ almost-killing-her-by-mistake _ part not even 24 hours ago... 

_ ‘Wait… why _ is  _ she being so nice…?’ _

As small murmurs echoed through the room from the rest of the students, they all stopped as someone else raised their hand, and promptly stood.

“I believe I can, Professor.”

Someone from right in front of Akko’s joint desk with her teammates was the one who stood, apparently being a member of the Blue team along with those jerks from yesterday, except she had pretty hair…

“Bless the one who leaves this stone untouched. Woe betide the one who moves it.” They responded with no hint of hesitation nor stutter in their voice.

Okay… they also had a  _ really  _ pretty voice too.

Every student in the room turned to face the girl, with small gasps and amazed looks on their faces.

“Wonderful work, Ms. Cavendish.” Professor Finnelan praised. “In all my years of teaching, not a single student has given a more accurate reading up until now!”

Giving a curt nod, the girl in front of Akko went to sit back in her seat.

“That was amazing, Diana!” That black haired witch from yesterday praised their blonde-and-mint-streaked haired companion.

“E-Eh?”

* * *

Potions was  _ not _ a lot better. It  _ also  _ really didn’t help that Akko’s nose was extremely sensitive and she practically couldn’t stop gagging. What hurt  _ more  _ was that she wasn’t even able to throw up, and instead was stuck in a gagging limbo.

Opting to shove two fingers in her nose with one hand and trying to fan away the potent green potion smoke-whatever the hell that gas was away with her other, Akko watched in envy as that same girl from before- Diana, apparently- needed to only use her wand to swipe away the smoke with some form of magical spell.

The next class soon after was something called “Magic Numerology,” and was probably the most tiring and boring class of the entire day. At least with Finnelan’s “History of Magic,” her piercing voice alone kept her and the other students awake. However…

“...As you can see on page 923, line 102…”

Head bobbing up and down, Akko tried  _ extremely  _ hard to fight the off the urge to just fall asleep outright, until her ears perked up at the sounds of whispers from the desk in front of her.

“Wait a minute…” Diana murmured to herself, gathering the attention of her two compatriots at her side.

“What is it, Diana?” The auburn haired witch asked in her own low whisper.

Diana stood as straight as a board with blinding speed, causing Akko to just barely break out of her tired state. She’d been drooling on her notes a bit, but it’s not like she was listening to the teacher enough to write down anything anyways...

“Professor Badcock, I believe it is from one to  _ four,  _ not one to five.”

Akko eyed Diana curiously, quickly swiping away a strand of drool from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve as she then looked ahead to the small teacher surrounded by books at the front, now readjusting her glasses and looking closer at the giant tome in her hands.

“O-Oh, I do believe you’re right! How could I have made such a mistake?” Badcock bowed. “Thank you very much, Ms. Cavendish!”

“It’s nothing professor, it was an honest mistake.” Diana bowed as well. “I believe in some older prints of the book, it did indeed say one to four, but in most modern publications, that had been amended.”

“That most certainly must explain it- I’ve been meaning to ask for new books for a while…” Badcock sighed, but nonetheless smiled at Diana. “Thank you very much once again, Ms. Cavendish.”

Diana sat back down, as the auburn haired girl and her black haired compatriot leaned in towards her, giggling under their breaths. 

“You made Professor Badcock look so bad!” The black haired girl snickered.

“Honestly, you might just be smarter than all the Professors here combined already, Diana.” The auburn girl praised.

_ ‘Geez… such suck-ups…’  _ Akko sighed internally, lowering her head to rest in her arms.  _ ‘I wonder how that Diana girl deals with that kind of-’ _

“Sucy!” Akko hissed as she felt her ears twitch.

“Crap.” Sucy froze on the spot, realizing her plan of testing on a slumbering Akko was foiled- her arms cupping a small bowl.

* * *

“Thank  _ Kami-sama _ above for lunch…”

Slumping back with outstretched legs in her seat, Akko suppressed what hopefully was the last remaining yawn from Numerology. “I almost fell asleep three separate times…”

“Professor Badcock really needs to work on her enthusiasm…” Lotte nodded in agreement. “I almost fell asleep myself, I haven’t done that since I was in primary school…”

“I think the fumes from Potions might’ve kept me awake, she was brewing some really interesting stuff.” Sucy spoke between chews of mashed potato.

“Ugh…!” Akko rose up and slapped her claws against the table in frustration- a few eyes from nearby tables trained onto her. “How come magic classes are all so boring?”

While a majority of the room was filled with idle chatter practically everywhere, Akko still managed to single herself out of the crowd with just her tone alone, multiple glances going her way with a mix of annoyance, disgust, pity- every kind of familiar stare.

“I thought they’d be more magical and dreamy or something…” Akko lowered her voice slightly, sighing as a few students turned away. 

Raising a slice of toast to her mouth, Akko enthusiastically chomped down. “It’s nothing like what I thought it would be... It’s getting harder and harder to believe that Shiny Chariot learned magic here if all the stuff is so bland and boring…”

As steps grew closer from behind her, Akko rested her head against her other hand’s palm. “...Like this toast… It really needs butter…”

Akko’s ears perked up when she noticed the steps that she heard stopped  _ right  _ behind her, and her eyes opened wide during the middle of another bite of bland toast.

“Nobody respects Shiny Chariot’s magic, you know… especially in this school.” A familiar melodic voice spoke directly to the back of her head.

Setting the toast back down on the small plate, Akko turned to face that Diana girl all the teachers had been praising.

“Miss Kagari, I believe?” Diana started, her gaze appearing impassively neutral, but with a cold, almost calculating look beneath the surface. “You are a newcomer, is that correct?”

_ “Ough, ugh-” _ Akko tried to respond, before realizing that she still had a fair bit of toast in her mouth. Putting a finger up to pause the conversation and chewing the toast quickly, Akko swallowed and lowered her finger before trying again. “Yeah, that’s me- but you can just call me Akko.”

Akko then set her utensils down as well, and rested her hands in her lap. “You were that girl that answered every question right, yeah?” Akko asked. “You were pretty good in class!”

“My name is Diana Cavendish... and I suppose you are correct, I am the girl “who answered every question right.”” Diana had responded, her arms folded behind her back and with a raised chin. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Wait, you don’t know who Diana is?” A voice from over on the side gasped.

Akko watched as those two witches from before who sat next to Diana went to their respective flanks on Diana’s sides, that auburn witch giving an honestly unnecessary deep scowl directly to her.

“She’s extremely famous in the magic world, you know. How could you even  _ enroll _ here and not know who Diana is?!” The auburn witch scoffed. “Although I suppose I shouldn’t even be surprised- you  _ are  _ the first wild animal they’ve allowed to enroll here.

“Diana’s the current best student this year.” That black haired girl from before snickered. “They even say that she might become the best witch in Luna Nova’s  _ entire history.” _

Giving a sidelong glance to the auburn witch, Diana’s eyes went from them, back to Akko. “I suppose I can call you Akko… but I would consider this a warning- In the magical world, nobody speaks highly of Chariot. She’s done nothing but give magic the misconception of being a flashy stage-trick that anybody can master, instead of showcasing its intricacies and practical uses.”

Lowering her head to stare directly at Akko, Diana continued once more. “You should seek to remember that from now on.”

“Hey!” Akko rose up in her chair slightly, remembering at the last second that her tail was currently sticking out through the chair’s ornate bottom opening. “People all over the world loved Chariot’s magic shows, it was one of the most popular things on TV- despite her being a beastman performer!!”

Nodding, Diana looked off to the side. “That is true, she was once a very popular performer, despite fighting against the odds… but it was and has always been nothing more than a show.”

Glowering down at Akko, Diana continued. “There was no way for magic to last that long on television in the manner with which she chose to share it. A majority of her tricks were already over and done with by the latter halves. Simply put- ignoring her status as a beastman performer- she wouldn’t have lasted very long even then with her miniscule repertoire of magical skill.”

“It’s been 10 years since Chariot had quit and disappeared, and her popularity along with her,” Diana continued “Whether you like it or not, you must be able to admit that nobody cares for her anymore, nor what she is doing now.” Diana shrugged over-dramatically, turning away from Akko, and beginning to walk off. “I’m afraid I have nothing more to tell you, so I must be taking my leave.”

Akko watched as Diana’s companions confidently smirked at her- as if Diana had given them a “victory” that they didn’t even earn themselves.

And honestly? That pissed her off more than Diana’s hurtful, yet at least truthful words.

Shoving her arms on the table and rising out of her seat quickly, Akko turned directly to the three witches. “Chariot gave me a dream!”

Diana stopped, and calmly turned her head over her shoulder, looking at Akko with a raised brow.

“Even if I hate it, I can’t admit that you’re wrong… but it doesn’t matter! Chariot showed me how amazing magic can be- even if it was just flashy tricks!!”

With a hand over her heart, Akko clutched her clothes slightly. “I came from Japan all the way over England just so I can follow in Chariot’s steps- because I want to make people smile too, no matter who I am physically!!”

More and more eyes started to look her way, but despite all the varied stares she was being subjected to, she stood firm on the ground as her eyes burned with passion.

“And I even have the Shiny Rod, too!”

“...Shiny Rod…?” Diana whispered to herself.

* * *

_ ‘Nice job,  _ me… _ you really did it now, huh?’ _

Practically every single student in the canteen decided to humor her.  _ Every single one. _

And now she’d readied her Shiny Rod for all to see, hoping and praying to herself that this time it would actually work. It didn’t work earlier today- but maybe it was because she was sleepy!

But now the entire school’s student body was standing in the courtyard, all of them expectantly waiting for a grand magical miracle to happen right before their eyes.

Holding it out in front of her, Diana actually looked genuinely  _ surprised  _ to see the rod in her hands. Whereas her partners looked mostly disinterested- and the auburn haired girl decided to just glare at Akko again.

Schooling her look, Diana leaned forward with her arms folded behind her back, critically analyzing the staff in front of her.

“...Surely you don’t intend for me to believe this is the real deal?” Diana asked Akko quizzically. “There have been many fake versions of the Shiny Rod… officially sold or not. Many have tried to claim they have the genuine article due to its mysterious magical history, but have been unable to replicate its capabilities of transforming itself into various other forms during Chariot’s magic shows- something a normal wand cannot simply do.”

“I’m telling you- this is the Shiny Rod!!” Akko huffed, holding the aforementioned rod back close to her person.

As Diana’s disinterest rose high enough, she turned away with her eyes closed, as her compatriots leaned out from behind Diana at her flanks.

“This toy is your prized possession?” The black haired girl chuckled to herself, covering her mouth with her hand.

“It’s pretty suitable for a chew-toy.” The auburn haired girl chuckled as well.

Akko could practically feel the poison singe her being at that particular sentence.

“It’s not a toy!” Akko huffed defiantly back. “And I’ll show it to you all, right here and now!!”

Walking forward towards one of the courtyard’s massive stone statues, Akko stamped her feet down hard on the dirt as she gazed intently at the gargantuan figure looming over her.

_ ‘Okay, Akko, you can do this…’  _ Akko confidently told herself in her head.  _ “You’ve got  _ the  _ Shiny Rod in your hands… it can do anything!’ _

“Okay… time to make another miracle happen!” Akko confidently told herself out loud, spreading her legs out and holding the rod confidently in her clawed hands.

“Akko!” Lotte called out to her from her side. “You don’t have to do this…”

“I can do it if I believe, that’s what Chariot taught me!” Akko retorted. “A believing heart is my magic- that’s all I need!”

Closing her eyes, and trying to stave away all the expectant stares and sweat now rolling down the sides of her head, Akko shimmied slightly on the spot. “Let’s do this, Shiny Rod…” She whispered to herself, unable to notice a particular pair of eyes on her through one of the many windows of the building.

“Please… perform a miracle like you did yesterday!”

Her thoughts trained on the rod in her hand, and with her mind mostly clear- Akko could  _ feel  _ the magic surge through her, right to the tips of her fingers!

“Stone statue…”

Moving her arms to have the Shiny Rod at her side, almost as if she was about to swing with a bat, she kept her eyes closed until the last moment, when she swung the rod with a flourish directly towards the stone statue in front of her.

“...Move!!”

Wait… why was she still feeling that tingling sensation in her arms?

After a couple of moments of nothing happening, Akko began to sweat more, and her fingers began to fidget.

_ ‘It’s okay, you can still try!!’  _ Akko screamed at herself in her head.  _ ‘Go again-’ _

“Stone statue, move!” She swung the rod again, only to watch in a now encroaching horror that it still stayed exactly where it was.

_ ‘...I think those tingles might just be my nerves…’ _

Akko swiped the rod back and forth again and again as the panic started to set in. “Come on, move, please just move!!” She pleaded with each futile swipe of the magical artifact, watching in continuously rising fear and horror as the statue still hadn’t budged.

People were snickering now, some were murmuring under their breath, their eyes boring holes  _ right into her. _

Those Blue team girls loudest of all, making a great show of laughing and snickering at her expense. Akko shot a glare back over her shoulder. That auburn girl looked much too amused, at least the black haired girl seemed to have some form of pity for her.

What hurt the most of all was that Diana just looked completely and utterly disappointed.

She’d just made herself look like a massive fool in front of literally the entire school’s student body- and even supposedly the most popular student in the school’s  _ history  _ while she was at it.

Turning back ahead to try and avoid all the eyes on her, Akko could feel practically every semblance of hope drain away. “Come on, move…”

The noises around her just kept getting louder and louder, each chuckle, each murmur… each and every single one was about her and her alone.

“Why…?” Akko nearly sobbed. “It was working yesterday…”

Lotte motioned towards Akko with an outward hand. “Akko…-”

“Ansolew Airo!”

With a flash of bright magical light, Akko slowly turned her head upwards towards the stone statue in front of her- which spontaneously combusted into incomprehensible green flame.

“E-EH?!” Akko quickly snapped out of her train of thought as she watched the massive stone woman open her eyes, stone pupils shifting to look directly at her.

“S-STAY BACK!!!” Akko screamed as she recoiled back onto her haunches- watching in complete horror as the massive statue loomed over her, its hands covered in green flame and aiming directly for her.

Akko screamed even louder than she had all those years ago at Chariot’s show- completely fearful for her life as the statue quickly and utterly dwarfed her, the shadow overhead looming more and more, creaking stone sounds drawing closer and closer-

When all the noise had stopped so suddenly, Akko peeked up at the statue. 

It looked down right back at her, before lowering its hand slowly- and plucking right from the top of Akko’s head a plant stem with leaves on the end.

“Wh-What…?” Akko gasped, tears beginning to form right in the corners of her eyes.

The stone statue calmly let go of the plant, and it fell straight to the ground without a single sound before quickly fading away in a small puff of smoke. The statue promptly returned to its previous position, the remaining glimmers of green flame dying away as it became rigidly unmoving once more.

Diana quickly retracted her wand, hanging it on her blue sash at her side, before looking down on Akko with that same disappointed stare.

As the shock died down, every witch in the courtyard gasped in unison directly at Diana’s display- her arms now at her sides and her eyes closed in contemplation.

“Amazing, Diana!” The black haired witch praised.

“Diana’s nothing but amazing- a real-deal miracle witch!” The auburn haired girl added.

Raising her hand up to quell the crowd’s excitement, Diana walked towards the shell-shocked Akko on the ground, now surrounded by her teammates on either side.Diana looked down on her once more- this time a lot more literally. “Magic is not just belief and nothing more. Magic is the culmination of years and years of hard work, effort, trial and error, difficulty, overcoming barrier after barrier…”

As the Red group turned around to face her, Diana continued. “Magic is  _ by definition _ not something that can be done by someone with nothing more than an intrigue in a fad- it is something that must be learned and mastered. Something that can only be done by someone who can in turn understand  _ it.” _

“Shiny Chariot’s effect on the world of magic was only a net-negative. It gave people the childish view of magic being nothing more than tricks that a civilian on the street can master within the day...”

Leaning a bit closer in, Diana continued to glower down. “Magic is years of cultivated effort. Decades of study, magic has done so much in the world that Shiny Chariot simply doesn’t hold a candle to… A witch from the 1300’s cured a plague before it even hit the normal world, in the 1600’s we helped usher in the Age of Science that forever changed humanity’s history…”

The two Blue compatriots of Diana leaned in much further than she had- sadistic grins on their faces.

“Both of them were Cavendishes, you know.” The auburn haired girl glowered at Akko, unknowingly cutting off Diana. “A distinguished family with nearly 1,500 years worth of history- centuries upon centuries worth of achievement...”

The auburn haired girl leaned in dangerously close to Akko, and had the audacity to flick her nose with their finger, causing multiple watching students to gasp.

“Simply put: you’re out of your league. Compared to a millennia and a half worth of achievement? You’re nothing in comparison to that, you’re just some  _ wild, trash-eating, nobody vermin  _ you should’ve stayed as back in your home country of like-minded freaks.”

Not only did multiple students around them gasp a second time at the girl’s words, it looked like even Diana was slightly offended by what the girl had said- before quickly masking her expression once again before anybody else in the crowd had noticed.

Akko watched as Diana looked down upon her with a nigh unreadable expression, before turning around with a harumph, and starting to walk away.

“Geez, did my words sting too much for ya?” The auburn haired girl leaned in even closer, her tone mocking with arms on her hips. “Can you actually understand what I’m saying this time?”

“H-Hannah…” The black haired girl poked the auburn haired girl’s shoulder.

“What, Barbara? Can’t you see I’m-”

When they noticed that Diana was already halfway through the courtyard and near the school, the auburn haired girl- Hannah- gave an audible squeak of recognition.

“W-Wait up, Dianaaa!” She called out, dragging the other girl- Barbara- with her.

Akko watched as the three entered the building, and continued to stare blankly at the exit they went through for a solid chunk of time- unable to process practically  _ any  _ of what just happened, other than that it wasn’t good, not at all.

“Those… jerks…” Lotte glared at the same exit, clenching a fist at her side. “Just a bunch of… a bunch of…”

“Racists?” Sucy turned to Lotte. “Call ‘em what they are, right?”

Akko just continued to stare ahead, unable to feel practically anything at the moment.

Every moment that just transpired started to slowly play back in her head- every single moment. Every misstep, every insult, every noise, every snicker every chuckle-

“A-Akko!!” Lotte suddenly called.

She needed to get out of there.

“A-AKKO!!” Lotte tried again, her raised voice only beginning to sound quieter as Akko ran through the courtyard, and subsequently the halls.

Every word, every letter started to hammer into her brain with enough power to take down all the archaic structuring that had once held the pink mass up, all her internal emotions in overdrive as the reality of what just happened- the sheer  _ gravitas  _ Diana had in her voice, and even in that girl Hannah’s when she told her, straight to her face-

_ “Compared to a millennia and a half worth of achievement? You’re nothing in comparison to that, you’re just some wild, trash-eating, nobody vermin you should’ve stayed as back in your home country of like-minded freaks.” _

Akko had tumbled past students, skidded against the floors, she had even begun to register her arms aiding in climbing the stairs towards the upper floor. The encroaching feeling of guilt and shame that then came with it, realization setting in that she was probably running around like the aforementioned trash-eating nobody vermin that she was in this giant, dignified castle, filled probably to the brim with those similar to Diana; the kin of massive achievers who actually had the right to be there..

She’d felt her elbow slam hard into a door without even checking to see if it was hers- not like she could, anyways, through all the tears.

Surprisingly enough, the door hadn’t broken, but her pacing certainly was as she ran face-first into cobweb and dust.

The tingles, the stuffiness- it kept  _ getting  _ to her, everything was just  _ getting to her!! _

_ “Stop… stop stop stop!!!”  _ Akko wailed in her native tongue as she swiped and swatted at cobweb after cobweb, her tears diluting her vision into nothing more than pure watery distortion as her claws tore through who knows how much fibre silk.

Tumbling to the floor after spinning around in circles enough to dizzy her, Akko continued to sob on the floor, an arm covering her eyes and her other arm in a fist over her mouth to muffle the wails.

Her first day of magic school not only proved to her that magic was simply much beyond her understanding… it also proved to her that she also wasn’t ready- that she was out of her league by such a wide margin… she publicly humiliated herself in front of the  _ entire student body, _ she made a fool of herself by constantly swiping around the Shiny Rod, she made an idiot of herself for thinking just urging the statue would work when at that point she knew well enough magic was about  _ incantation… _

She couldn’t understand fancy magic language… she couldn’t even put on the right clothes in the morning…

How could she possibly stand next to, or even contend with anybody else? Even her friends?

“Can I… even do anything…?” Akko finally managed to choke out, before even more hot tears fell down in pools down the sides of her face. “Am I even ready…?”

The stress, the humiliation, the fear- the sheer  _ disconnect  _ she had with magic… 

_ “Can I really… be a witch…?” _

With one last choked sob, Akko turned on her side, and shut her eyes tight.

If there was anything she’d much rather be doing right now, it was sleep. Just sleep all the sadness and pain away like those other days back then.

Maybe when she woke up- it would’ve all been just a nightmare. A nightmare she could just forget. Just like the rest of them... As long as it wasn’t impactful enough to etch its way into her core.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 2!
> 
> I'm hoping I can stick to an update every Monday, but please understand that with school, sometimes I might be a bit late- but I promise to keep updates within the week if at all possible!
> 
> Thank you all very much for the generally kind reception and comments, it really does mean a lot!!
> 
> See you all (hopefully) next Monday with Chapter 3!


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